size of POST data

[kniceguy2know]

Hello there!
The background to my problem is that I am trying to develop a CMS using php and mysql, with some Javascript. A few tables call for HTML data, so I looked around and found this javascript rich text box which allowed me to do just this. I used the box in a form that uses POST to submit data. Most tables have just one or two such boxes and there are no major problems in data entry.
However, one table has 6 such boxes and IE(6) seems to have major problems if I try and enter a lot of data. Mozilla (1.7) works wihout a hitch.
Though I am not very sure what the problem is, I feel that IE may have problems with too much POST data. Does anyone have a thought on this issue?
(I am a newbie when it comes to web developement - so please feel free to laugh if my question is rather dumb. :) )

[webboy1]

Laughing at the newbie would defeat the purpose of the forum.......we all have to learn. So all questions, however ridiculous you think they might sound, are worth asking.

In this case, you have asked a good question. In fact it is one i had trouble with when i started out.

Unfortunately i am an ASP/MSSQL/Access user, but it sounds like the same problem.

You have to check that the field in the database you are entering all this info into has the correct settings to accept it. In MSSQL Server we have datatypes 'Varchar', 'text' and 'ntext'. Trying to enter a long paragraph of text into a cell with varchar as the datatype just wont work. By default varchar only allows you to enter 250 characters (including spaces etc). However, doing the same with the text datatype works fine.

Normally, entering to much data into a field via a browser form will bring up a data error saying something along the lines of "datatype does not match, data will be truncated."

Again, not sure if this will help, but i would double check the settings of your Database fields to make sure they are set to accept large inputs of Data.

Webboy

[tedster]

The Microsoft Site [msdn.microsoft.com] says:

When using the post method, there is no theoretical limit
to the amount of data that can be sent to the HTTP server. The
amount of data may be constrained by the physical limits of the
client computer.

So it sounds like something else is going on for you.

[kniceguy2know]

Hmm. Like I said - the database gets updated when I run the page on Mozilla. The problem comes into the picture only on IE. Does IE have a POST size limit?

[kniceguy2know]

Well further testing has left me even more muddled. What has begun to happen is that beyond a limit even Mozilla freezes when I click the submit button. Does anyone have any idea what POST size limits, if any, exist for various browsers? And while we are at it, is there a way to get around the limit?

[Brett_Tabke]

I've dumped several MEG into a textarea before.

Sounds to me like you are running into the limits of javascript (if you are using that for anything - which is certainly not recommended for form work)

[Purple Martin]

I've experienced problems with GET data because of the limits on URL length, but I thought that POST data length was supposed to be unlimited.

[kniceguy2know]

Thanks for your posts. To check if javascript was causing the problem, I brought up an older version of my data entry page that had simple textareas. In 1 textarea, I dumped what I regard as being a standard sized entry for the database. The notepad file with the same data is abt 4 kbs. To my surprise, IE didnt even accept this entry and just froze. I am now totally baffled. Is there some arcane setting in IE that allows the maximum size of post data to be changed?

[kniceguy2know]

OK ppl - problem solved. As usual - after all the griping about IE and Mozilla and all that - I discovered that I was the one responsible. On checking the code I discovered that I had not explicitly specified the form method as POST. I guess the default method for forms is GET and that Mozilla has a higher GET limit than IE. On specifying the method the form began to work. Thanx for the support. Hope this gives u a good story about newbie developers to scare little kids with. :)